South Wales Echo letters: Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Your letters to the South Wales Echo

I have to take issue with the content of Councillor Ralph Cook’s letter to the Echo (July 17).

Labour Party members, including myself, have a right to speak out against Nato and the impending summit just as we had the right to protest against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The statement which the No Nato Newport Group issued has been signed by numerous prominent Labour Party members, many of whom hold office as trade union officials, MPs and local councillors. The list of signatories to this statement in the form of the letter published in the Echo on July 14, to which Councillor Cook refers is only a fraction of the total list. The original statement also makes clear that we have all signed “in a personal capacity”.

I wasn’t alive in 1949 when the Labour Government “took us into Nato”, however I do understand Nato was supposed to be a defensive alliance, formed after World War II.

Many would argue it should have been wound up when the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. Instead it has become an increasingly aggressive nuclear armed alliance.

Cardiff Council has a clear position of opposition to nuclear weapons as demonstrated by its affiliation to the Nuclear Free Local Authorities Forum. The two representatives to the forum are myself and Lib Dem Councillor Ed Bridges. I’m proud that during the two years Labour has been back in control in Cardiff we have also signed up to “Mayors for Peace”, as have numerous Labour authorities and the other British capital cities.

In my capacity as a representative on the NFLA Forum I have been helping to organise the “Alternative Peace Summit” which the Echo reported on at the end of May. This conference is being held on Sunday, August 31 and is open to all those who wish to further peace in the world. Councillor Cook would of course be very welcome to take part.

Sue Lent

Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council (in a personal capacity)

Road is not just for buses and taxis

With the introduction of bus lane cameras and the proposed usage of the onboard cameras on Cardiff buses to stream live images of traffic infringements on the streets of Cardiff, I would like to ask councillor Ramesh Patel, the cabinet member for transport planning and sustainability, to say how he is going to allow for Royal Mail and other couriers and delivery companies to go about their business in the Greyfriars Road area of Cardiff, after he has driven a bus lane east bound and no parking at any time westbound and no legal loading bays anywhere in the area.

Who does he think is going to deliver and collect the mail... the fairies?

It seems to me and a lot of people that Mr Patel is hellbound on driving through his grand plan of making the city centre a bus and taxi only environment with absolutely no thought given for any of the businesses that inhabit the city centre.

Would his onboard spy cameras record the blocking up of the loading bays in Castle Street by illegally parked vehicles displaying a disabled badge because this area is rarely patrolled by the parking police? Also would his onboard spy cameras record the actions of the majority of Cardiff bus drivers who really think they own the road? And why has no one ever questioned the ridiculous decisions of Cardiff Council to impose a BUS ONLY left turn out of Westgate Street into Wood Street.

I would like to remind Mr Patel that he doesn’t own the road and other vehicles use it as well as his precious buses.

Mr CT Webb

Canton, Cardiff

How Scotland came to be in the Union

Scotland at the end of the 17th Century was in a state of crisis. Decades of warfare had combined with seven years of famine to drive people from their homesteads and choke the cities with homeless vagrants, starving to death in the streets.

The nation’s trade had been crippled by England’s continual wars against continental Europe, and its home-grown industries were withering on the vine. Something had to be done. Some way had to be found to revive Scotland’s economic fortunes before it got swallowed up by its much richer neighbour south of the border.

The man who came up with the answer was a financial adventurer called William Paterson, a Scot who had made his name down south as one of the founding directors of the Bank of England.

Paterson returned to Edinburgh with an audacious scheme to turn Scotland into the major broker of trade across the Pacific Ocean. While in London he had met a sailor called Lionel Wafer, who had told him about a wonderful paradise on the Isthmus of Panama, with a sheltered bay, friendly Indians and rich, fertile land – a place called Darien.

It was an economic disaster, too. The company had lost over £232,884, made up of the life savings of many of the Scottish people. Scotland was now completely incapable of going it alone. Just seven years after the failure at Darien, it was forced to concede to the Act of Union, joining Scotland with England as the junior partner in the united kingdom of Great Britain.

As part of the deal, England paid off Scotland’s debts with the “equivalent”, a sum of £398,000, most of which went to cover the Company of Scotland’s losses. The institution established to administer this money eventually became the Royal Bank of Scotland.

No amount of money could make up for the nation’s sense of betrayal, however. Many Scots believed their chance of independence had been deliberately sabotaged by the English, and the resentment this fostered played no small part in the Jacobite rebellions which were to plague the Union.

Andrew Nutt

Bargoed, Caerphilly

Well done to high school’s Hairspray

Last night I watched Eastern High School’s production of Hairspray. I have never enjoyed a school production so much as I did last night; it really was of a very high quality production and performance.

I have been involved in one way or another with drama productions for many years. I have to say, as a member of the audience, I was expecting an ordinary school production but could tell instantly that I was going to receive much more than this, right from the opening scene.

I have never seen such an array of talent on a school stage quite like last night at this school. The energy levels were very high, I particularly enjoyed the singing; the school has some extremely talented young people with great voices. The choreography was fantastic and energetic. Lines were delivered clearly and with good timing.

I just wanted to say well done to all departments of the production, I know only too well the efforts required from adult support with youth productions including back stage and stage management, technical crew, wardrobe, make up, props, set and design and front of house!

Particular congratulations however, must go to all the members of the cast, they did a truly outstanding and professional job of entertaining. I’m sure the school must be very proud of these talented young people!

Although there are many school productions throughout the year; Eastern High is a new school and it certainly has set a high standard for next year!

WalesOnline is part of Media Wales, publisher of the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and the seven Celtic weekly titles, offering you unique access to our audience across Wales online and in print.